


Stay

by tridecaphilia



Series: Peter Pan AU [1]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Peter Pan Fusion, Implied Relationships, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-10
Updated: 2013-06-10
Packaged: 2017-12-14 13:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/837626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tridecaphilia/pseuds/tridecaphilia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal's definition of freedom has changed so much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

> All credit and blame goes to shadowkingsmidlifecrisis on Tumblr for encouraging me.

Time moved in this world. Time had meaning. People aged, and grew sick, and died. It was why he’d left in the first place, and it was his punishment for staying away so long that by the time he came back Wendy had died.

He almost left again after he found out about that, but there had been one epithet on Wendy’s headstone that made him stay. “Mother.” Of all the titles there had been, that was the one that stuck with him. It meant that somewhere in this world he’d run from so long ago, there might be something left of the woman he’d loved.

He ran from the foster home he’d been put in at first. He was light on his feet and quick with his fingers, and it didn’t take him long to learn the tricks to surviving in this world. He learned to steal, to gamble, to smile and charm his way into things he wanted.

And then he met Kate.

Kate was Wendy’s granddaughter, and that was why he’d first been attracted to her. But there was something else, something about her that was entirely Kate, and that was why he stayed.

Through the bad times, and the good times, and through prison, Kate was why he stayed.

By the time Kate was gone for good, he had a new reason. A man who looked older than the man now known as Neal Caffrey, who in his mind was older than Neal ever planned to be. A man who wore cheap suits and had Neal’s old name. A man who never trusted Neal until it was too late.

Neal came back for Wendy. But he would stay—forever—for Peter Burke.


End file.
